


All I Want For Christmas

by ironicpotential



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas Fluff, F/F, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:27:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22348726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironicpotential/pseuds/ironicpotential
Summary: Alex looks back down at the advent calendar in her hands, tempted to dig in for another piece of chocolate. Twenty brightly colored doors remain closed, a reminder of how little time she has to pull off this mission.Twenty days to figure out exactly how to bring a bit of that magic to Detective Sawyer.Twenty days until Christmas Eve.The pressure is on.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer
Comments: 34
Kudos: 122





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I considered writing this fic for Secret Sanvers this year, but I didn't quite have time. Hopefully y'all don't mind a bit of late holiday fluff inspired by the cheesiest of holiday films.

Alex tugs at the lapels of her blazer, unused to the starchy material. Back in the North Pole, she spends the majority of her days in the DEO uniform and on the rare day off, a sweater and jeans. Her cover identity calls for something more professional. 

A uniformed officer quirks an eyebrow at her when she approaches the crime scene and she has to remind herself that her pointed ears are hidden behind a glamour. All he sees is a strange federal agent, not one of Santa’s elves. She flashes her fabricated badge and ducks under the police tape. 

She’s not unfamiliar with crime scenes, not in principle. There’s not much to do back home in the off-season but watch Netflix and she likes a good true crime documentary as much as the next elf. Still, the smell is new. Far removed from the ever-present scent of ginger and spice back home.

She can’t help but feel out of place with the eyes of National City’s finest watching her every move. She steels her nerves, reminding herself that while she isn’t truly with law enforcement, she does have the qualifications to be there. She has a degree in Biology from the University of the North Pole. In another life, that would have made her a formidable forensics expert, not the Head of R&D at a glorified toy factory. 

She leans over a crime scene tech, watching as he slips some bloodied fabric into a plastic bag.

“Hey! What are you doing on my crime scene?” 

Alex freezes at the question. She knows her disguise is infallible, but fear rockets through her body all the same because stalking towards her across the pavement is the exact woman she’s been tasked to find.

**One Day Earlier: December 3**

“So I’ve been running some tests and I think we can ramp up your speed by swapping out this material here for something lighter. There’s this new alloy that—” Winn pauses his explanation. “Uhhh Kara?”

Kara’s eyes snap open, head zipping back up. She had only intended to rest her eyes for a moment, but the combination of Winn’s melodic voice and the warmth of the DEO had lulled her into slumber. “Sorry, Winn! I’m listening, I promise!”

Her friend laughs, shaking his head fondly. “Don’t worry about it. As long as you trust me and Brainy to make sure your flight goes smoothly, I won’t have to bore you with the specifics.”

“Always. Just had a late night preparing.” 

This is her first year flying solo. Normally she and her cousin split duties, but he and his wife had a baby a few months prior. He had offered his help again this year, but Kara didn’t want to leave Lois alone with baby Jon on Christmas Eve. Clark had done the job by himself for years before he deemed her old enough to join him, and if he could handle the whole planet himself, so could she.

Besides, it wasn’t like she was truly alone. She had the full power of the Department of Elven Operations behind her. Led by Head Elf J’onn, they were a well-oiled machine. Even a novice Santa like herself would succeed with their help.

She had Brainy and Winn to make sure her sleigh was upgraded and ready to go, Nia to assist her with her Naughty or Nice List, and Alex…

Well, there wasn’t a more talented toy engineer than her best friend. 

Alex always worked harder than her peers, spurred on by the long shadows cast by her parents. Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers were pioneers in the field, heads of their respective departments when Clark just started out as Santa. They’ve since retired, but their legacy remains.

Alex is finally getting recognized for her own merits now though, with a promotion to Head of Research and Development, and Kara couldn’t be more proud. Unfortunately her and Alex’s new titles both came with a myriad of responsibilities, which meant that Kara had much less free time to see the woman she considered her sister. 

Kara bids Winn goodbye and sets off towards the Research wing of the DEO. Maybe she could try to drag Alex away from whatever fancy tech she was working on in favor of some hot cocoa if she offered to put whisky in it.

She only gets as far as the hall when another elf waves her over. She hadn’t realized how much extra work Clark did. Being Santa required making so many decisions. 

“Hey Nia!” She puts on her brightest smile, which only grows as she sees the plate of cookies in Nia’s hands. “Those for me?”

“They are! And actually, I was hoping you might take a look at something for me.” 

Of course. With only a week until Christmas, not even cookies came without some task or favor. If it were any other elf, she might try to make up an excuse that she needed to go feed Krypto and the other reindeer, but Nia is new and she reminds Kara a lot of herself when she first started: overly chipper and easy to please. She shoves a present shaped cookie in her mouth and follows Nia to her desk, sinking into one of the overstuffed armchairs nearby.

“Whatcha got?” she asks, spraying crumbs from her mouth.

“It’s this letter.” Nia’s forehead crinkles as she scans the page. “This kid didn’t ask for anything for Christmas. And she’s on the Nice List, I checked.” She shakes her head, then corrects, “Well, okay she  _ did  _ ask for something, but not for herself.”

“Okay…” Kara draws out the “o”, wiping crumbs from her sweater. “So what  _ did _ she ask for? World peace? Because uh… Clark tried that once and it didn’t go well.”

“No, nothing so nebulous.” Nia hands Kara the letter. The handwriting is childish, but neat, as if the little kid who had written was trying their hardest to form the letters as taught. 

“She wants us to bring her mom happiness.” Kara’s heart falls. “But we—”

“We don’t handle presents for adults, I know,” Nia finishes. “But I was hoping, maybe just this once… We could try? I wouldn’t ask if I hadn’t done some research. The kid is on the top of the Nice List. And her mom, well, she’s a detective in National City. Even got injured in the line of duty last year.”

There’s a small drawing at the bottom of the letter. In crayon, Jamie Sawyer has drawn two crude figures— herself and her mother, a shiny badge pinned to the taller one’s hip.

“You’re right. We should try.” Kara stands, filled with determination. Every kid deserves to have a magical Christmas, and if what this kid wants is for her mom to be happy, then that’s what she will get.

It’s an easy decision to go to J’onn. As Head Elf, he’s been at the DEO the longest. He’s seen it all. If there’s anyone who could figure out how to bring Detective Sawyer happiness, it’s him.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you, Kara.” J’onn looks up from his computer, folding his hands on the desk.

“But J’onn,” Kara pleads, “We can’t not get Jamie what she asked Santa for! We’ve never failed like that. Not in hundreds of years!”

“I said that  _ I  _ can’t help. But I have an idea.” J’onn pushes himself out of his chair and makes his way to the door, beckoning for Kara to follow. She rushes to keep up with his long strides as he snakes through the halls, past the Marketing Department, deeper into the belly of the DEO.

“As you know,” he continues as they pass assembly lines and work tables, “The DEO’s R&D unit is responsible for developing new toy ideas. In order to do this, elves assigned to this unit are well-versed in many different fields.”

Kara is familiar with the way the DEO operates. Part of her training as a future Santa had required her to have a basic understanding of what happened between a child sending a letter to the North Pole and her delivering each gift. They’ve got elves who specialize in Physics, in Music, in Art— any area that could help them make gifts to cater to any child’s wish.

“Alex’s lab?” Kara questions as they finally come to a stop in front of a large glass door. 

He doesn’t reply, instead opening the door and waving Kara inside.

Alex doesn’t even look up when they enter, preoccupied as she is bending over a junior microscope for a child’s science kit. 

J’onn shoots Kara a grin. “I can’t think of a better suited elf to research a police detective, can you?”

**DECEMBER 4**

The detective weaves through the scene, sidestepping techs and evidence markers, wearing a leather jacket like a suit of armor. 

Alex stands, bringing herself to full height as they scope each other out. She’s taller than the detective by a few inches, but the other woman doesn’t back down.

“Agent Alex Danvers, FBI.” She flashes her badge again, squaring her shoulders. “Showed you mine, now you show me yours?”

“Detective Maggie Sawyer.” The detective whips out her own badge, the metal glinting in the sunlight. “I told the Captain we didn’t need the feds on this.”

“Clearly you do,” Alex scoffs, “Otherwise you’d be packaging your evidence in paper evidence bags so it doesn’t degrade.”

This was Maggie Sawyer? The woman who, by Kara and Nia’s account, was a model officer and worthy of a little extra Christmas magic?

Maggie frowns, face pinched in annoyance. “This crime scene is under my jurisdiction,” she insists. “The NCPD can handle this.” 

Alex mentally runs through the briefing she’d gotten on the flight over. The NCPD had a string of unsolved murders and she was to be posing as an FBI agent sent to form a task force. Maggie may be right in that she has jurisdiction, but the NCPD doesn’t have the kind of expertise the FBI can offer. 

“We have technology that makes your city PD lab look like an Easy Bake Oven. If you think you can crack the case with your little toys, fine by me.”

She turns on her heel, unwilling to waste a minute more of her time. She didn’t need to make nice to figure out what to get Maggie Sawyer for Christmas. She could just spend a few days in her rented apartment in National City and suggest that Kara just bring Maggie a candle. Then she’d be back at work in time to make sure Winn and Brainy don’t run her division into the ground. 

“Wait,” Maggie calls after her, and she stops, against her better judgement.

“You said you didn’t need my help.” 

“I know, I…” Maggie shoves her hands in her pockets, scuffling the pavement with the heel of her boot. “I’m sorry, the last guy they sent over was a real asshole. Came in here, waving his badge around, then sat and twiddled his thumbs while we did all the work. Took credit for the whole operation.”

“So you assumed I would.”

“Yes? No. Look, I didn’t give you a fair shot. I know how tough it is, being a woman in a job like this. We have to work twice as hard.”

Alex finds herself agreeing. The North Pole isn’t so different. Under the previous Head Elf her ideas had been poached by her colleagues and she’d been passed over for promotion more than once. It’s better now at the DEO with Kara and J’onn at the helm, but she still feels like she has to overperform.

“Let me make it up to you?” Maggie smiles, and for the first time, Alex notices her dimpled cheeks. “Drinks tonight? I’ll catch you up on the case.”

She looks so hopeful that Alex can’t find it in her to say no.

~

The North Pole certainly isn’t as isolated as all the movies make it seem, but it still has a small-town feel to it. In addition to Santa’s chalet and the DEO they’ve got all the usual staples: the single post office, a grocery store, a 24 hour diner. They’ve even got a local watering hole, Prancer’s, that holds Christmas karaoke the first Saturday of each month, regardless of proximity to the actual holiday.

In a town like that, everybody knows everybody, and in Alex’s opinion, not everybody is worth knowing. She’s a big fish in a little pond. The tiny plastic figure in a snowglobe surrounded by never ending, never changing cheer.

National City is different. It’s a monster of a place, made of steel and concrete, streets criss-crossing like veins. It’s awash with color and sound, fluid, always in motion. The city breathes life and the people are its beating heart. 

Darla’s is a different breed than Prancer’s. They both may be decked in the garish red and green of the season, but here, the tables show their age. The jukebox skips on every third song, her boots stick to the floor, and no one looks up when she enters the bar. 

She could have left her glamour at the door and not one of the patrons would bat an eye and that anonymity is glorious. 

She’s early, giving her the opportunity to select the table of her choice: a high top within view of the door. From her perch, she can people-watch as she waits, cataloguing each individual she sees. 

She’s eavesdropping on a booth of gossiping office workers when the door swings open and Maggie bustles in, surveying the room just as she had earlier in the day. Their eyes meet, but she lingers by the entryway, as if she’s unsure if she should sit or dart off to the bar for drinks first. A frown tugs at the corner of her mouth, dimples marking her cheeks once more as she scans Alex’s face from across the room. Whatever she’s looking for as she’s sizing Alex up, she must find, because the frown quickly disappears, replaced by a sheepish smile as she approaches the table.

“Hey, sorry I’m a bit late,” she says, leaning up against the table. 

Alex waves off the apology. “Don’t worry about it, I just got here myself.” 

It’s a lie, of course, but Maggie doesn’t need to know that. Alex hadn’t made the best first impression, and even though they’d quickly ironed out any perceived slight earlier in the day, she’s keen to stay on Maggie’s good side.

“Still, first round is on me. What are you drinking?”

Alex glances at the bar. An old fashioned would set her nerves at ease, but she needs to stay sharp, especially if they’re going to be discussing a case. She can’t let her cover slip. 

“A beer is fine. Whatever ale they have on draught?”

Maggie seems to approve of her choice, nodding sharply and heading to the bar. Alex watches as she converses with the bartender, shifting back and forth on her feet, drumming her fingers on the bartop. She glances back over her shoulder at Alex and Alex quickly diverts her eyes. 

Maybe they’re both a little nervous.

Maggie sets a glass in front of Alex and slides onto the seat across from her. She holds up her glass for a toast. “Cheers.” 

Alex raises her own and takes a sip, relishing the feeling of the cold brew. 

She watches as the last bit of tension coiled within her companion melts away as she takes a drink of her own beer. From what Alex had gathered from her initial read through of Maggie’s file, her case closure rate is one of the best in the precinct. She’s busy, and her file is glowing. With a stressful job and a kid at home, she wonders how often Maggie gets to go out and have a good time.

Time ticks away as they sit in silence, each focused on their drinks, on the other patrons of the bar, anything but each other. 

Condensation builds on her glass, droplets sliding down the surface and soaking the cardboard coaster below. Alex has never been great at small talk. She lets Kara or Winn take the lead in most social engagements. If the situation were different, if she were indeed Agent Danvers of the FBI, she could rely solely on her profession to drive the conversation. 

She could go straight to business, launching into a discussion of the case, without regard for what Maggie would think of her personally. And truly, she wishes it could be that simple, but as much as she’s intrigued by the opportunity to stretch her analytical muscles, she’s here to do a different job.

She has to straddle that line between professional and personal. She needs to get close to Maggie. Needs to find out what makes her tick. Her likes, her dislikes, her interests. Anything that would bring her closer to the perfect Christmas gift so that Jamie Sawyer could rest easy knowing her mother is happy too.

“So,” Maggie starts, thankfully saving her, “How are you finding National City?”

“It’s a bit warmer than I’m used to,” Alex admits. 

Truly that’s the understatement of the century. She’s used to the constant flurries back home, not the seemingly eternal sunshine of California. 

“Same here.” Maggie lifts her glass in acknowledgment. “I’m a midwestern girl. You too?”

“Northern California. Midvale, up the coast,” She shakes her head, reciting the cover story J’onn created for her. “Not  _ that _ much colder, but…” she trails off, finishing the sentiment with a shrug. 

Maggie nods in agreement. “It does get chilly near the coast. I get it.” 

It’s not just the weather that Alex finds off-putting. “Is it as weird to you as it is to me that they put lights on their palm trees?” 

“Yes! What’s with that?”

Alex shrugs and they share a laugh that cuts through the cloud of awkwardness that generally accompanies first meetings.

“To answer your question though,” she says, “I’ve only been here a few days so I don’t know if I can make a true assessment yet.” She takes another drink. “I need some more points of data.” 

“Well, I know that the sandwich shop next to the precinct will win National City a few points in its favor.”

“Is that right?” Alex raises an eyebrow over the rim of her glass. “Sandwiches and not coffee and donuts? What kind of cop are you?”

“Ouch, Danvers. Can’t jostle for jurisdiction so you resort to stereotypes?” It’s a reference to their earlier spat, but this time it’s said without malice, meant as a tease.

Alex bites her lip as their eyes meet. She hadn’t known what to expect with Detective Sawyer. Her file had painted her as a decorated and dedicated officer. It hadn’t said anything about her wit or her charm. 

She drains the rest of her glass, suddenly parched. 

“You moved here recently, right?” she asks. 

Maggie tilts her head to the side. “Yeah. From Gotham last year. How’d…”

“I may have looked you up after our last meeting.” Alex explains. Their encounter at the crime scene has taught her that Maggie appreciates a thorough mind. She won’t be suspicious of a fellow law enforcement officer doing a background check on a colleague. “Wanted to know who I’d be working with. I’m impressed.”

Sure enough, Maggie smiles. “You don’t have to look through my file to get to know me better. I’m right here.” She leans closer and Alex thinks perhaps she could have used a warning about those dimples as well.

She had been guiding the conversation, so sure of her ability to crack the case that was Maggie Sawyer, but with that one phrase, Maggie had turned the tables. 

She opens her mouth to respond, but she’s cut off by the rumbling of Maggie’s cell phone against the table. She just manages to catch the contact name on the missed call notification: Aunt Maria. 

“Shit,” Maggie sighs, tapping out a message on her phone. “I gotta go. Family thing.”

“Everything okay?” 

Maggie hadn’t even listened to the message, immediately jumping into action. Could it be that this Aunt Maria has Jamie? Is there something wrong with the girl?

“Yeah, it’s all good.” Maggie pockets the phone and stands, stretching her back. “Sorry our night was cut short. We never did get around to the case.” 

“Getting to know my new partner was a good start.” Alex is quick to reassure her, though it’s clear Maggie is already miles away. “Tomorrow?”

Maggie nods in response and Alex follows her out to the parking lot where they part with a wave, before heading off in separate directions. 

She’s thankful that her temporary lodging is close enough to Darla’s because by the time she pulls her motorcycle into the garage, she’s exhausted. All she wants to do is kick off her boots and collapse on the couch for a few hours of mindless television. Unfortunately, when she trudges through the door she’s met with a large suitcase that had been left by the fireplace while she was meeting Maggie at the bar. 

She hefts the suitcase onto the bed, cursing her past self for packing so many sweaters. She unzips the case, unfolding each item and hanging them in the closet. She’ll have to press the dress pants before she heads to the precinct, but that’s a problem she’ll address in the morning.

Tonight, she can barely stay standing long enough to unpack— it feels as if she’s been awake for days. It’s almost unfathomable that only twenty four hours ago, she was tinkering in her lab at the North Pole, miles away from National City, California. 

She had protested when J’onn had come to her with this assignment. It was too close to Christmas. She had toys to finish, Winn and Brainy to supervise, and this would be Kara’s first Christmas as the sole Santa Claus. 

But Kara had begged and pleaded and pouted, and if Kara needed her on this mission, she would do her best to complete it as soon as possible. 

She may not have made much headway tonight, but she laid the foundation. The work that goes into designing a toy is just as important as physically building it, and that’s just as true here. 

The last item in the suitcase is something she doesn’t remember packing. It’s a small box, gift wrapped in shiny green and gold paper. The tag reads  _ Good luck Alex!  _ in Kara’s familiar scrawl. She slides her thumb under the gift wrap, tearing it open with expert precision. 

Inside the package is a small advent calendar. The first three days have already been opened, the candy taken from the tiny boxes. Of course Kara couldn’t help herself, Alex thinks fondly. 

She opens the door for December 4th to find her favorite mint chocolate. It’s a custom box then, just for her. 

Sometimes she really loves Christmas magic. 

Her eyes slip closed as she savors the taste of the treat, her mind drifting back to Maggie. 

She hadn’t seemed panicked when she got that call from Aunt Maria. She immediately jumped to attention at the prospect of a family emergency, a trait Alex greatly admires. That and her dedication to the people of National City are two ticks in Maggie’s favor.

Alex looks back down at the advent calendar in her hands, tempted to dig in for another piece of chocolate. Twenty brightly colored doors remain closed, a reminder of how little time she has to pull off this mission.

Twenty days to figure out exactly how to bring a bit of that magic to Detective Sawyer. 

Twenty days until Christmas Eve.

The pressure is on.


	2. Chapter 2

**DECEMBER 11**

_Thunk._

_Thunk._

_Thunk._

“Uhhhh, Kara?”

Kara pauses, her forehead halfway to making contact with the surface of her desk once more. “Yes, Winn?”

The bells on his hat jingle with each movement, and, with each jolly chime, her head pounds. 

“You doing alright there?” he asks, resting a hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t know how Clark did this all.” She gestures wildly at the growing mountain of paperwork on her desk. Each time she completes a report, two more take its place. “All of this needs my approval: from changing reindeer feed to approving replacement components for toys, and-” she points at her computer screen “-we’re behind on production! Two weeks until Christmas and we’re behind! How are we behind? We’re never behind!”

She slumps forward, face cradled in her hands. 

“Well, idk about the goons in production but…” He grimaces, hand scratching his hair under his cap. “We’re one elf short. Brainy and I are good. Like, really good. But…” He trails off, frowning.

“I wish Alex were here,” Kara mumbles into her palms.

“What’s the word from the warmer part of the world?” 

“Well, according to her latest report… which is around here somewhere….” Kara shuffles a stack of papers, rifling through them until she finds a typed printout, lifting it into the air triumphantly. “Ah-ha! According to her latest report, she’s been there one whole week and has found NOTHING.”

She slaps the paper back down on the desk, her forehead following it, hitting the surface with yet another-

THUNK.

Winn extracts the paper, scanning each line. “Well, I wouldn’t say there’s _nothing_ here. She certainly has a lot to say about this Detective Sawyer. _She’s smart and hardworking… Closed a record number of cases last year… Her hair is shiny… Kind of a shitty pool player… Dimples…._ Oh she has dimples, that’s useful information.”

“Yes it’s a real glowing reference, but we already knew this about Detective Sawyer, otherwise we wouldn’t have sent Alex in the first place,” Kara gripes. “We’re still no closer to finding out what will make her happy for Christmas. And we’re-”

“Two weeks away,” Winn cuts in, “Yeah, I know. I wish she were here too.”

“It’s just...” Kara sits up again, rocking back in her chair until she’s staring at the ceiling. Strands of Christmas lights crisscross across the workshop, flashing in time to a silent carol. Red, green, white. Back to red. Green again. 

Around her, the Department of Elven Operations is bustling. Tinsel has been strung up with care; toy engineers dart between divisions, scribbling frantically on tablets; and Nia spins in her chair, gnawing on a candy cane as she checks their list twice. It seems like everyone has a task and knows how to complete it. 

Everyone except for Kara. 

She had been so excited. This year was going to be _her year,_ but now that it’s here, she’s frozen. She has so many things to do, she doesn’t even know where to start. She’s standing, immobilized, as an avalanche rushes toward her. 

“I dunno how to do this without her.” 

“Hey, Kara.” Winn’s voice is soothing, but it’s not the voice she wants to hear. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Alex had said she’d be there for her— that she’d be beside her every step of the way this first year. But Alex _isn’t_ here to listen to her gripe over hot chocolate, or to help her smooth things over with the head of Marketing. She isn’t here to hype Kara up when anxiety strikes. 

Why couldn’t Alex just _ask_ Maggie what she wants for Christmas and be done with it all?

She pushes herself up from her chair by the arms. “Thanks, Winn. Tell Brainy you guys are doing great. I’m gonna… I need to see J’onn.”

“Yeah, alright... “ Winn frowns, but doesn’t press further. Still, she catches him lingering by her desk as she heads towards R&D. 

J’onn doesn’t look up from his paperwork when she enters his office.

“I assume you’re here about Alex’s latest report?” he says, motioning for her to close the door. 

“Two weeks, J’onn!” She slumps into the chair in front of his desk. “She should be back already, but instead she’s saying that she needs more time. Can’t she just ask Detective Sawyer?”

“You know that she can’t risk blowing her cover.” He shakes his head, continuing with his paperwork. “Alex is embedded as an FBI liaison to the NCPD, meaning that she has been busy working a case while gathering intel for the DEO. By her reports, she hasn’t had the opportunity to speak with Detective Sawyer on a more personal level more than once. Asking a police detective that one has known for one week a question like ‘What would you like for Christmas?’ might trigger some alarm bells.” 

Kara frowns. “We can’t make an exception just this once? We’re getting down to the wire here...”

Finally J’onn looks up, leveling her with a stare that makes her feel like she’s a small child back in Santa Training once again. “The Department of Elven Operations is able to continue operating because adults are unaware of our existence. If word got out about the magic of Christmas, it could be harnessed for evil. Imagine what the wrong person could do with such power.”

She doesn’t have to imagine. She knows.

Back when a much younger Clark was an apprentice Santa, he’d been given the opportunity to shadow his father on Christmas. The night had gone off without a hitch until they arrived at the Luthor Estate. Clark had been caught coming down the chimney by the oldest child, Lex, just on the cusp of not believing. They’d struck up a friendship without Clark’s father’s knowledge, exchanging letters, but soon Lex decided to expose Santa as being a title and not a person. 

J’onn had been forced to wipe the minds of half of Metropolis and the secret of Santa and the North Pole remained safe, but Kara remembers how betrayed Clark had felt. 

She knows logically that Alex is doing what’s best for the DEO, but that doesn’t mean she has to like the fact that her sister is there alone. Without her.

“Well… Maybe I could go and help her? I could pose as a mall Santa or a Christmas tree salesman? A reporter?”

“No, your place is here. Alex is the best agent we have. I have faith that she’ll accomplish the mission.”

With that, he turns back to his work, immune to her pouting. Dismissed, she pushes the chair back, its legs scraping across the floor. 

Two weeks. 

Two weeks until Alex is back and their lives return to normal.

**DECEMBER 14**

The smell of balsam grounds her. 

It always had. 

She was notorious at the DEO for her long hours, barreling through each brick wall head first, emerging from the wreckage triumphant with a new design. Still, there were days when the creative block was too big to scale. Days when even her analytical mind couldn’t engineer a fix for a toy that just wouldn’t work. 

Those days, the only thing that helped was the brisk arctic air. The feeling of her sneakers against the forest floor. The smell of pine and fir and the freshness of nature.

It’s her reset button. 

But the balsam-scented candle she’d purchased for her apartment didn’t have the same effect. It didn’t ease her frustration at her inability to find the perfect Christmas gift for Maggie. If anything, it made her long to be home. 

She never thought she’d be homesick for the North Pole. She loved her job, loved her sister, but it had all the trappings of a small town. Everyone knew her business, nothing was ever a surprise. There was a banality to day to day life; but now she misses the bustle of the main square, the snow crunching under her boots, the smell of gingerbread wafting from the direction of the bakery. 

The National City Christmas Market isn’t the North Pole, but it’s close enough. The smell of the cut firs in the adjacent Christmas Tree lot is a welcome change from the ever-present city smog and the hot cider she’d purchased warms her inside and out. 

She’s hovering by a craft stall, examining the glittering baubles and carved figurines, when she hears her name.

“Danvers? Hey! Doing some last minute Christmas shopping?”

She turns from the stall to see Maggie approaching, a small girl tucked into her side, holding tightly to her hand.

_Jamie Sawyer._

The little girl who started this all. 

“Hey, Sawyer! Yeah, I’ve just been looking for uh… something for my sister.” She grabs the closest wooden figure— a reindeer painted white just like Krypto— and slides a handful of bills to the stall owner. “I don’t usually save it for the last minute, but...”

Maggie laughs, the sound jingling. “I’m not here to judge. We’ve both got busy schedules, it’s hard to make it out shopping.”

A tiny hand reaches up to tug on the hem of Maggie’s sweater. “Mom,” she whispers, the sound just barely audible with Alex’s enhanced hearing, “Who is this?”

Maggie blinks as if suddenly realizing that she and Alex aren’t alone. Sheepishly, she turns her attention back to the girl at her side. “Jamie, say hello to Alex. She’s a friend from work. Alex, this is Jamie… my daughter.”

Maggie rests a protective hand on the girl’s shoulder. The easy camaraderie they’d established over the past few days spent working together has ebbed to reveal an uncertainty that Alex hasn’t seen before. 

Alex had quickly gathered that Maggie likes to keep her work and home life separate. The detective’s desk at the precinct is clear of the personal effects that her colleagues enjoy. There’s no family photos, no action figures, not even a dog of the month calendar. 

So far, save for their night at the bar, Alex has remained firmly in Maggie’s professional circle; now those lines have crossed. 

Alex’s time has been spent trying to unravel the puzzle that is Maggie Sawyer, and now she too is subject to similar scrutiny. 

Maggie’s shoulders have gone rigid. Her stance protective. She’s scoping her out and it’s up to Alex to reassure her. 

She would have to start with Jamie. 

Alex smiles and kneels down so that she’s eye level with the girl, not caring that her black jeans would be planted in the dirt. She holds her hand out to shake. “It’s nice to meet you Jamie.” 

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Jamie says in that practiced way children do when they’d been taught manners. Like her mother, suspicion colors her face. “Are you a detective like my mom?”

“Not exactly. I work for the FBI, but sometimes I get sent to help the police. I’m a scientist.”

Jamie’s eyes widen. “You’re a scientist?”

“Science is Jamie’s favorite class in school,” Maggie cuts in, running a hand through Jamie’s hair.

“Mine too!” Alex grins. As a young elf, science classes were a welcome reprieve from the tedium that was elven history. She loved that it had practical applications. She could see herself using the concepts she learned to create new things. “Did you make a lightbulb light up with a potato yet?”

“Yeah! It was really cool! And last week we had a science project! Mine was about police science. My mom helped me ‘cause she’s real smart.”

“She sure is. Will you tell me about it?” Alex risks a glance back at Maggie. Her posture has relaxed, but the trepidation in her eyes lingers. So, it’s not protectiveness over her daughter— not entirely anyway. 

“Um so… we got a cookie jar and my mom put her fingerprint on it. And then she helped me take ours with a stamp pad. And we showed that she ate all the cookies.” The girl rocks back on her heels as she explains. “That’s ‘cause everyone has different fingerprints. Even her and me. Even twins!”

“That’s an awesome experiment. You’re pretty smart too.” Alex grins and Jamie mirrors the expression, basking in the praise. 

The rocks on the ground are starting to cut into her knees, so she stands, brushing the dirt off and shouldering her bag once more. She pauses to sip from her cup of cider, no longer needing its warmth to stave off the cold, but enjoying the sweet flavor. “Have you been having a good time at the market?”

Jamie nods wildly. “Mom helped me pick out something for Aunt Maria and then we saw a reindeer and now we’re gonna get a tree!”

“Oh yeah?”

“A really big one! A million feet!” Jamie draws her hand up past her head, standing on tiptoe to demonstrate.

“Six foot max,” Maggie warns, “Or we won’t be able to fit it in our apartment. Speaking of, we should really get going before it gets dark.”

Jamie’s face falls, her shoe toeing circles in the dirt. Suddenly, her eyes light up and she turns eagerly to her mother. “Mom, can Alex come with us to pick one out?”

Maggie shoots Alex an apologetic look. “I don’t know sweetheart. Alex is probably busy.”

“Please?” Jamie’s lip wobbles, her puppy dog eyes rivaling Kara’s best. Alex couldn’t say no even if she wanted to. And she certainly did want to join the Sawyers, if only to keep her from another night of take out and the Food Network.

“I’d love to join,” she says, “I’m pretty good at Christmas Tree shopping.”

“Yes!” Jamie beams, skipping off into the Christmas tree farm, leaving Alex alone with Maggie. 

“You really won her over with the science talk.” The detective shakes her head fondly as her daughter darts through the rows of trees. “She’ll never leave you alone now.”

So close to Christmas, the tree farm is bustling. Families are everywhere, sizing up various trees and taking photographs, crowding the aisles. Alex’s shoulder brushes up against Maggie’s as they fall into step. 

“I don’t mind. She’s cute. She gets just as excited as you do about a matching fingerprint,” she teases.

The other woman is oddly quiet, gaze fixed ahead, and Alex wonders suddenly if she’s overstepped. As a detective, Maggie probably doesn’t get to spend a lot of time with her daughter, and here she is inviting herself along on a Sawyer family outing. 

The whole reason she was even in National City was to do reconnaissance for Kara. She frowns at the dirt under her feet, kicking a rock down the path. Maybe she’d gotten too close-

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Maggie’s voice comes out a whisper. “About Jamie… I…”

Alex’s eyes flicker back to her companion in confusion. “What? Why would you be sorry?”

“Well the last woman I…” Maggie pauses, stuffing her hands in her pockets. Her cheeks dimple as she purses her lips, considering her next words. “Having a kid can be a deal breaker.”

Maggie is a single mother, her file had been clear about that, and from the surveillance she’d done, Alex is fairly certain that she doesn’t have a girlfriend. 

Heat creeps up her neck as Alex fits the pieces of the puzzle together. The subtle reference to an ex— _a female ex._ The way Maggie leans into her when they talk. The guilt she’d expressed for not being honest about the fact that she had a kid (not that it mattered to Alex as she’d been aware of Jamie from the start). 

Maggie is _interested_ in her. 

Romantically. 

And Alex hasn’t dated in a long, long time— not since her final year at the University of the North Pole— but she’s not blind. She knows Maggie Sawyer is an attractive woman. Brilliant and kind and exactly her type. 

The flush rises from her neck to the tips of her ears as she thinks about how she’d gushed about Maggie in her last report. 

“Her loss,” Alex whispers, unable to help herself.

“Alex! Come look at this one!” Jamie pops out from between two firs, saving Alex from any further embarrassment. 

She’s tilting her head slightly as she carefully examines the tree in question, the way Alex has seen her mother examine evidence. They’re two peas in a pod. 

She shrugs at Maggie, sauntering over to join the girl. She glances back to Maggie once, just to make sure she hasn’t truly overstepped, but she’s pleased to find that the tension in Maggie’s shoulders has finally subsided. She’s relaxed. 

“What do you think?” Jamie asks. 

Alex fits her hands on her hips, appraising the fir. “Good height. Strong branches. I think you’ve found a good one!”

“Yeah?” Jamie looks up at her with hopeful eyes, eager for approval. 

“Absolutely. This one will hold its needles pretty well too, so you won’t get them all over your apartment.”

“Wow, Danvers, you do really know your stuff.” Maggie smiles softly as she joins them. 

Alex shrugs. “I had a job at a Christmas tree farm in college.”

It’s a little white lie, but she can’t very well explain that she gets to help _Santa Claus_ pick out the massive tree in the center of the North Pole every year. 

“I’m still impressed.” Maggie searches the lot for an attendant, waving a young man over to help them check out. Midway through handing him a stack of bills, she turns back to Alex. “Did you need to get one too?”

“Oh, um. I wasn’t planning on it. I’ve sort of got temporary lodging right now. Until I uh- find a permanent place.”

Another lie. If her job went as planned, she’d be “transferred” elsewhere as quickly as she had arrived. Still, this one doesn’t sit well. It doesn’t feel right to lie to Maggie. 

“Well, if you’re free…” Maggie offers, pushing her hair behind her ear, “You could come help us decorate ours. We’re getting pizza and hot chocolate.”

Just like the offer of Christmas tree shopping, this is an invitation Alex doesn’t want to turn down. It’s the opportunity she’s been looking for since she started her operation— a chance to see Maggie in her home, with her guard down. 

And selfishly, she wants to get to know Maggie better for reasons beyond helping Kara find her a Christmas gift. 

Still, she doesn’t want to seem too eager. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“It’s not an imposition at all. We’d love to have you.” Maggie tilts her head to the side, regarding Alex with a soft smile as the invite hangs in the air.

Alex’s fingers tighten around the strap of her bag. Maggie had said _we_.

_We’d love to have you._

As she nods her assent, she can’t help but hope that Maggie had meant _I._

~ 

She helps Maggie take the tree down from where it had been strapped to the top of the car and together they manage to get it up the flight of stairs and through the doorway of their apartment, Jamie chirping encouragement all the way. 

They’re in an older part of town, not far from the police precinct. The apartment is larger than Alex’s studio back at the North Pole, but it feels cozier. More lived in. The paint is chipped in some areas and Maggie apologizes for the toys strewn about the living room when she ushers Alex through the door, but Alex doesn’t mind. This is a home, not just a place to shower and change clothes before heading back to work. 

They get the tree situated in the corner of the living room and Jamie wastes no time, pulling Alex by the hand over to the box of decorations that had been pulled from storage earlier in the day. “C’mon, Alex, I wanna show you my favorite ornaments!” 

She half listens to the girl explaining the story behind a police cruiser shaped ornament as she studies Maggie. 

She’s seen the detective at work, confident and cool under fire. She’s hard when she has to be— stern when she’s interrogating a suspect. She’s also seen Maggie at the bar, a little cocky and full of swagger. Both sides of the woman make Alex a little weak in the knees. 

This Maggie is different, pacing her kitchen in socked feet as she orders pizza, glancing over at Alex and Jamie as she bops her head to the hold music. It’s a domestic picture— one that fills Alex with a strange sort of longing. 

It must be homesickness. The smell of the Christmas tree, the colorful decorations, and the thought of pizza all compounding to remind her of what she’s missing back home. The two weeks before Christmas are the busiest days of the year, but they’re also filled with the most cheer. She wonders if Kara dragged someone else to pick out a tree, or if Brainy and Winn are having pizza by themselves after a long day at the DEO. 

She turns her full attention back to Jamie, allowing the girl’s rambling about an arts and crafts project to drown out the guilt of not yet having completed her mission. 

“Pizza is on its way,” Maggie says as she joins them in the living room, juggling three steaming mugs of hot chocolate. She hands a mug to Alex, their fingers brushing, and Alex’s stomach churns anew. “Where are we starting?”

Between the three of them, the decorating goes quickly. Jamie peppers the lower branches with ornaments and Alex, with the extra few inches she has on Maggie, strings tinsel from the top. But even though Maggie is hanging ornaments within her reach, she stops every few minutes to stretch and rotate her left shoulder. 

“Sawyer, you ok?” Alex asks, after the third time she notices it, “Did you hurt yourself when we brought in the tree?”

“Nah.” Maggie waves off her concern. “Old injury. It still gets sore when it’s cold.”

“Mom got hurt real bad last year,” Jamie says gravely, “but she saved a whole bunch of people! She’s a hero!”

“I was just doing my job,” Maggie says simply, turning back to the tree. 

Just doing her job.

Alex had read about the incident in Maggie’s file. The detective had gone above and beyond what would be considered _just doing her job._

The official report described how she’d been on her way home from work and had stopped to pick up dinner. She’d been waiting for her pizza, but she’d seen a man in a ski mask enter the convenience store next door. She hadn’t even been on duty— wasn’t wearing a bulletproof vest— but she couldn’t look the other way. She’d entered the store, her badge in one hand and the other held up, palm open. She’d managed to convince the man to let the rest of the patrons go, but when the police arrived, he’d gotten spooked.

Getting hurt _real bad_ was an understatement— she had required surgery to repair the injury— but she had been back to work the minute she was discharged. 

“You wanna put the star up?” Maggie ruffles Jamie’s hair.

The question pulls Alex back to the present and she watches as Maggie takes her daughter in her arms, lifting her until the girl can place the star at the top of the tree. 

Alex may not have narrowed down a gift for Maggie, but she’s learned a lot about the woman.

Maggie Sawyer is humble. Selfless. She gives so much of herself and truly expects nothing in return. She’s more certain than ever that Maggie deserves happiness and Alex’s resolve is strengthened. 

She’d be the one to make sure that Maggie gets it.


End file.
